CHARACTERISTICS OF OFFENDERS AND VICTIMS IN 90 SUICIDE-HOMICIDE CASES WERE COMPARED WITH CHARACTERISTICS OF OFFENDERS AND VICTIMS IN ALL 994 HOMICIDE-ONLY CASES IN THE STATE FOR THE YEARS 1972, 1976, AND 1977. COMPARISONS WERE MADE IN REGARD TO OFFENDER-VICTIM ROLE RELATIONSHIP (MEMBER OF SAME FAMILY, FRIEND/ACQUAINTANCE, OR STRANGER); AND SEX, AGE, AND RACE OF OFFENDERS AND VICTIMS. DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND THE STATE OFFICE OF CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER. FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF HOMICIDE-SUICIDE OFFENDERS MORE CLOSELY PARALLEL THOSE OF SUICIDES RATHER THAN THOSE OF HOMICIDE-ONLY OFFENDERS. BOTH HOMICIDE-SUICIDE AND HOMICIDE-ONLY OFFENDERS IN NORTH CAROLINA WERE MORE OFTEN MALE THAN FEMALE, BUT THE HOMICIDE-SUICIDE VICTIMS WERE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BE FEMALE. THE HOMICIDE-SUICIDE OFFENDERS WERE OLDER THAN HOMICIDE-ONLY OFFENDERS, ALTHOUGH THE AGE DISTRIBUTION AMONG VICTIMS IN GENERAL WAS THE SAME. IN ADDITION, OFFENDERS IN HOMICIDE-SUICIDE CASES WERE OLDER THAN THEIR VICTIMS. ALTHOUGH 38 PERCENT OF HOMICIDE-ONLY OFFENDERS AND 44 PERCENT OF VICTIMS WERE WHITE, 70 PERCENT OF THE OFFENDERS AND VICTIMS IN HOMICIDE-SUICIDE CASES WERE WHITE. MOST HOMICIDE-SUICIDE OFFENDERS KILLED A MEMBER OF THEIR FAMILIES (72 PERCENT), USUALLY THEIR WIVES. IN HOMICIDE-ONLY CASES, THE OFFENDERS USUALLY KILLED A FRIEND OR ACQUAINTANCE (54 PERCENT). SUICIDE PREVENTION TECHNIQUES MAY REDUCE THE PROBABILITY OF HOMICIDE IN MARITAL STRIFE SITUATIONS, OR MAY AVERT THE OFFENDER'S SUICIDE IF THE HOMICIDE HAS ALREADY OCCURRED. A LIST OF 12 REFERENCES AND 7 TABLES ARE PROVIDED. (TAG)